


i'd like to spirit you away

by Miraphina Atherton (mew_tsubaki)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, writing from Scab's POV is always a wild ride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17936057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mew_tsubaki/pseuds/Miraphina%20Atherton
Summary: Because, if anyone asked Scabior, he might just admit he likes collecting treasure...and trouble.





	i'd like to spirit you away

**Author's Note:**

> The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. Read, review, and enjoy! Originally written for EveryShadeOfDeath.

It was…a game.

Well, a game was the best thing to call it because games were what Scabior knew best. Games could be serious and lighthearted all at once. Games gave such a thrill of excitement. And games…

Games were dangerous.

She must've thought it a game, as well. If she didn't, then she was crap at her job. She was supposed to be some kind of special Auror—Snatcher-hunter, or something like that—and she was quite good. She'd caught him _how_ many times now, in all these past years? But she was also bad, for he always managed to slip out of her grasp in the end somehow.

He was pretty sure she meant to let that happen…though he'd never asked.

Her name was Parvati Patil, and she was a witch out for some blood. Fenrir Greyback had killed her best friend in the Battle of Hogwarts, and she along with the few other Snatcher-hunters had rounded up all but Scabior, Fenrir, and one other Snatcher. Their job was nearly done, for the hunters had become the hunted, and the Snatchers were nearly no more.

Scabior panted as he crouched behind a dead tree stump, his pulse racing. See, this was what he had enjoyed most from Snatching. The thrill of the hunt was impossible to pass up. Now he knew that, on the other end, the thrill of being hunted was just as exhilarating.

He heard her footfall crunch over the mid-autumn ground. "I know you're here, Scabior!" Parvati shouted. "Come on out, and, if you come quietly, I'm sure we can make you a deal. I think I've mentioned before that my sister works for the Minister."

The wizard smirked. He sure had heard that one before. This wasn't the first time Parvati had promised him leniency, and he doubted it would be the last. But he didn't answer, for he didn't want to give his position away.

Parvati sighed and leaned against a boulder. Scabior peeked out around the stump and eyed her. The view wasn't all that bad, though the Patil witch certainly came off as rougher than Scabior thought she ought to be. She was dressed in her usual denims, dragon-hide boots, button-up top, and tattered wool travel cloak. She had her hair plaited to keep it out of her face…

Ah, if only Scabior weren't being hunted. Then he might actually risk chatting her up.

But any Death Eater or Death Eater affiliate would be stupid to chat up an Auror. And Scabior knew better.

He pressed his back against the stump again and sat there, waiting for her to leave and wondering when he'd get his next meal.

"I only want Greyback dead," Parvati stated in the silence.

Scabior tensed. Even if he knew where the werewolf was, he wouldn't tell her. It was more out of his distaste for werewolves than any possible concern for her, because the last thing anyone needed was another wolf running around, for he was sure she couldn't take him. "You've mentioned it a time or two," he replied calmly.

Parvati looked his way and got up. "I'm not going to kill you."

"I know, I know…" Scabior groaned and stood. He faced her. "You'd like 'is 'ead to roll—where would killin' me get you?"

She smirked at his frankness. "See? You can think. Though I have to wonder if your mind works all the time, joining the Snatchers in the first place."

He placed his hands on his hips and pulled a face. "I've got lots of brains. I jus' choose when to use 'em."

"Then you would know this is a trap."

Scabior tensed for a fraction of a second and skimmed the area…but he smirked back. "I call your bluff."

Parvati glared at him. "Hey, a girl can try at least, right?" She scratched her head. "Look, I'm not looking for any arguments or tussles tonight, so can you _please_ finally just come with me?"

"Ah, Patil, lookit you, askin' a Snatcher out…"

"Insinuate that again. I learned a mean Bat-Bogey Hex from a good friend whom Professor Horace Slughorn deemed the best caster of that spell."

He scoffed and dared to take several steps closer to her until he stood right before her. This was what made the game they played so addictive—this proximity could mean anything, and yet Scabior could just _sense_ that it didn't mean anything negative, anything bad.

He risked grabbing her waist, and her hand flew to his arm, her fingers digging into it. But, though she continued to glare at him, she didn't push him away.

"And you know by now," he breathed, drinking in her deliciously annoyed countenance, "tha' I'm an excellent duelist…and my nonverbal magic puts yours to shame…"

Parvati huffed and drew her lips into a thin line as he tugged on her waist, pressing their hips together and forcing her to arch her back. "The only shameful thing around here is you, Scabior."

Scabior grinned, liking that she wasn't fighting him back. It made the seduction more attractive to him. When he ghosted his breath over her face, he felt her shiver. He almost thought he heard a whimper escape her, but he didn't care. He claimed her mouth, pushing her against the boulder, claiming though beautiful garnet lips for himself.

She squirmed a bit under him, but she couldn't hide the tremor that shook her body. This wasn't the first time she'd let him catch her in such a precarious situation, and Scabior was glad for that. She was an exotic spice which he rarely sampled, and he savored her all the more for that.

He bit her neck lightly, pushing her cloak and shirt collar aside. Scabior was beginning to think he'd at last see more of her when his cool fingers drifted up her back, beneath her shirt—but he had to stop to catch his breath when she shoved her knee between his legs.

Parvati got away from him and rearranged her robes. "Maybe next time, Scabior." She smirked again and cheekily winked at him before Disapparating.

The Snatcher groaned and gasped, clutching his manhood. "Bloody minx…!"

* * *

This game of cat-and-mouse had been going on for years, and Scabior had never been disappointed.

When he'd first learned that Parvati was tailing him, his prime response had been "Oh, shit." The only thing he'd done after the war was go into hiding—and he'd learned he was really good at hiding!—but things were made difficult with someone actively searching for him.

Then he actually crossed paths with her…and things changed.

She was all heated in the beginning, blaming all Snatchers—not just Greyback—for her friend's death. Scabior originally had been scared for his life. But then he tried the one other thing that had rarely failed him: He used his words.

Words had gotten him to lead the Snatchers. Words had saved his skin in Malfoy Manor. Words had helped him slip out of the most dangerous battle zone in history alive. So he relied on them once again to aid him with Parvati.

A seed not of doubt but of curiosity was all she needed.

Once Scabior had mentioned to her that Greyback was not his favorite person in the world either, she appeared not to know what to make of him. It didn't mean that things between them were automatically different, but there'd been a subtle shift in the gameplay. Whenever she caught him, though, she seemed hesitant to take him into custody. Of course, that gave him the chance to use his words again, and her curiosity built up.

Scabior recalled when he'd first dared to touch her. It had been two years since the start of their dangerous game, and he was hiding from her in the woods. He hid behind this tree, she checked behind that one—one wrong step and everything could've collapsed.

Funny, using that phraseology, for he'd darted from one tree to hop to another…and _collapsed_ into Parvati.

Her reaction was one of being electrocuted. She jumped away from him, her dark face darker from healthy color in her cheeks. Parvati had scrambled to draw her wand against him, but he'd thrown her off by not putting up a fight. She'd let him go…something she'd never forgotten.

And nowadays she was reminded constantly of that action, especially every time she repeated it.

He liked her to repeat it, though, very much. He often spent his free days—days when he knew she was far off—wondering what she did when she wasn't hunting him. Was there a passing moment when she wasn't hunting him? Did she think about him as much as he thought about her? Did she have someone at home to distract her from him?

Scabior didn't like that last thought. He _really_ wanted to try her out before anyone else could get their hands on her.

But… It occurred to him that, if he didn't take any risks—like the one he had today—he'd probably never get that opportunity. And that would be a disappointment.

Scabior didn't like disappointments.

* * *

As the next few days wore into the next few weeks, disappointment _did_ tug at him, and that irked him. Parvati was too insistent, whether she realized it or not, on give and take. Scabior gave, gave, gave—but it appeared he was not allowed to take.

"OI! WATCH THE 'AIR!" he bellowed as he ducked a hex.

Her spell landed in a stone wall to his right, smoldering in a little black spot it had created there. "Can't be mindful of such ludicrous things."

"'EY! This is beau'iful 'air—do you not see this lovely red streak?"

"Oh, good Merlin… When I catch you for good, I might just shave your head. Your whining is getting on my nerves."

Scabior glanced over his shoulder. Parvati seemed more agitated than usual. They'd dueled before, yes, and she'd been a much nastier person in the beginning. But this was the first time in a long while that he'd seen her so peeved. If he weren't careful, she'd hex his balls off. And he was rather fond of those.

She picked her gaze up from the forest floor. "Can't this be the day, _please_ , that I nab you?"

He lowered the hands he'd had up in defense and gave her a look. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Don't go blamin' your monthly problems on me, luv."

Hrmm. Not the right thing to say. She fired off a _large_ Blasting Curse at him—and nearly got him. But…

Hell, were her eyes _glassy_? He was _sooo_ not equipped to deal with that… Maybe he should just hide for good and hope she'd forget about him… He did _not_ want to deal with this.

"Forget it." And, before he could even make another ill-timed comment, she Disapparated on the spot, leaving Scabior standing with his mouth gaping.

Had he just been stood up?

* * *

Well, that certainly had been odd. Scabior knew he had a bit of a messed-up view of women, but he couldn't help it. He knew his libido tended to guide him, so he politely listened to it.

But it was a whole three weeks before Parvati even seemed to be after him again. More strangely, she was quiet, simply studying him.

"'Ave I got somethin' on my face?"

Then she came right up to him—and snogged him. He had not seen her like this before either! It was confusing as hell, her wanting to kill him one day, kissing him the next!

He didn't mind the kissing part, especially since he got to cop a feel here and there. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was fairly into him. Usually a bloke didn't think otherwise when a witch shoved her tongue _that_ far down his throat.

And _she_ was the one coming after _him_. Her hands were all over him, her wand in her back pocket, unceremoniously forgotten as she opened his shirt to have more of him.

Good fuckin' Merlin, was this woman _insane_?

Then, of all things…she pecked his lips, sighed, and rested her forehead on his shoulder, leaning into him.

As something screamed at Scabior between his thighs, you don't just go ravaging a wizard and stop midway. But he wasn't hesitant to open his mouth. Because if he _asked_ …then she might just, ugh, _tell_ him her thoughts and troubles.

Parvati did not feel the need to say anything, regardless. She backed off, her palm grazing his chest as she shook her head and left again.

* * *

Frankly, now curiosity was getting the better of him.

He knew he'd used curiosity to snag her interest. He knew curiosity could be a deadly tool for just that matter. But, as the months wore on and their give and take resembled those two instances of her odd behavior, he had to wonder what. The. Fuck. Was going on.

Half the time she seemed ready to give in to him and his advances; the other half, she was the one making all the advances. She was such a goddamn oddball that if she were a double-headed coin, he might have fetched a pretty Knut for her quirk and rarity. Then again, that was just part of his personality. Once a Snatcher, always a Snatcher, and he felt he'd never get rid of that pawning part of himself.

But, as she appeared and drew him to her one evening, his subconscious began to wonder if he really should ever consider selling such a feisty gem. "This…is going to sound _ridiculous_ ," she mumbled.

Aw, hell.

Parvati fell to her rear and sat on the ground, staring blankly into the night sky and not telling him to join her. Awkwardly, he did anyway, choosing not to sit beside her but facing her so he had a good view of her profile.

Crap. He'd… Well, he'd never seen a witch look so broken. He was unsure he'd seen _anyone_ so broken.

She gave a shaky laugh and sighed—a sound that had become much too familiar as of late, in Scabior's opinion. "You…are… Oh, fuck." Parvati glanced at him. "Are you always on the move?"

Okay, so he wasn't expecting that. Now: answer or don't answer…? He shrugged. "Yah. Whatsit to you?"

"You couldn't have _always_ been like that."

He grimaced. "When I went to 'Ogwarts, no. You 'ave a point? Because I don't 'ave any 'ankies, you know."

She gave a tired chuckle. "You are…the only stable thing in my life." She looked at him.

… "Come again?"

Parvati slapped her forehead. "Go figure this is what life comes down to… I mean it—you are the only stable thing in my life right now."

"Now, 'ow'd you work tha' out again?"

She cupped her cheek and looked at him, exasperated. "My parents have been taking more trips to India over the past five years and finally decided just to move there."

"Yah…?"

"And my sister has been hiding a few things that I really should've known about my own twin. _And_ —" She stopped and frowned. "Well, work sucks." But the look on her face belied another story, something that Scabior doubted she would tell him. Er, not that he wanted to hear. He was _sooo_ not into the whole "let's share our feelings!" thing. No. Nuh-uh. Save that for some farm-boy lover, honey. Scabior was just not that kind of man.

"Work will always suck," he found himself saying. He released an annoyed sigh and scratched the base of his ponytail. "Do you know 'ow many times I got bitch-slapped 'cause tha' Yaxley bloke or Bellatrix Lestrange thought I did a skuzzy job?" Scabior pulled a face and rubbed his neck underneath his scarf. He still had welts that had never healed from Bellatrix's damned whip.

He looked back to Parvati, unable to look away when her brown eyes locked onto his.

"Tha's life, 'oney," he coughed, breaking the eye contact. She made it hard for him to see her just as a sexy body when she looked at him like that.

"Imagine how I felt when the con I was chasing was the only stable thing in my life, though," Parvati said with a half-amused smirk. She looked back to the Moon again for a moment and then got up. She patted the dirt off and did something disgustingly sweet and unexpected and kissed his forehead. When she looked at him, she was smiling.

Scabior…was seriously doubting his reaction. He stared at her dumbly for a second before pulling softly on her arm and tenderly kissing her mouth. Good Merlin, _Scabior_ being a _sweet_ bloke?! Could this even be happening? Scabior was in disbelief himself…then he thought maybe the kiss would get him somewhere when Parvati just rested against him.

Instead, she shook her head and backed away. Again, she Disapparated as she'd done all those times before. But things were very different this time. A) She left with a sad smile on her lips, with a glint in her eye that meant she could break down into tears or collapse in a fit of laughter.

And B) Scabior felt something other than a twinge in his pants at her leaving. And he did not mind the slow change in his reaction to her.

* * *

He had been wondering for a while now, if—with her funny turn—he might've made her his once and for all one of these days. Their game of cat-and-mouse had transformed into one of curious pup-and-new toy. Scabior was actually hoping their game, never minding what it had become now, would never end.

The wizard thought too soon.

Before that odd conversation between them, Parvati's appearances had grown few and far between. Now, post-conversation, she had seemingly disappeared.

As good a Snatcher as he'd been, Scabior had no idea what to do about her. Should he look for her? Well, _that_ was absurd. She was supposed to capture him! …okay, so if he started looking for her, where did he even start? None of his old contacts were around, and he had no other Snatchers to help him track her down. It was like handing a dog a piece of cloth to sniff and then telling it to trail a wisp of smoke.

A part of him told him that he should go celebrate. That part was jaunty and ready to be fuelled by tank after tank of firewhiskey.

Scabior, a stranger to the feeling of panic, found he could not give in to that minor desire, however. There was no way _anyone_ who'd been after you for _years_ and _years_ just suddenly up and quit one day! Parvati was as diligent as they came, and, with her need for revenge against Greyback fueling her, Scabior seriously doubted anything would've come between her and any information to his whereabouts, even though Scabior had always told the truth about not knowing where he was.

Hmm. Scabior telling the truth? As if the panic weren't bad enough—now he had just realized something he'd always done for Parvati unknowingly.

Please ignore the urge to give a name to Scabior's relation to Parvati; he appreciates that.

In the end, Scabior set out for the southern part of England, carefully toeing the areas surrounding London. He visited some of his favorite old haunts, ones Parvati might've known and others he'd never even taken his fellow Snatchers to, constantly keeping an ear out for news. What he heard bothered him.

They seemed to be rumors—well, he refused to believe them, so they were certainly rumors in his book—but he was iffy when the same thing floated from every witch and wizard's mouth. At one point, Scabior cornered a stranger and backed him against a wall. "Tell me!" he snapped. "What are they sayin'?"

"R-Read it yerself!" the wizard jabbered. He waited for Scabior to loosen his hold on him, and then he thrust a _Prophet_ at him before scrambling off the beaten path.

Scabior watched the man leave and took the paper, flicking the creases out of it and skimming the headlines. Something else the Minister had done, something about a war on terror being over…come again?

It hadn't yet been officially announced by Minister Shacklebolt, so the article was more of a snippet, but the paper claimed the rumor that the hunt for the remaining Snatchers was over. All Snatchers were now at last either in Azkaban awaiting "trial" or dead. The Auror Office and its small taskforce often dubbed "Snatcher-hunters" would have a relaxing future of quiet paperwork ahead of them with the Snatchers behind them. The article ended there; it was a true snippet.

Scabior stared, flabbergasted, at the parchment.

What fresh hell was this?

* * *

Before the paper, a conspiratorial idea had begun building itself a little nest in the back of Scabior's mind. The idea was that maybe something had _happened_ to Parvati Patil, Scabior's eye candy.

After the paper, Scabior's face was frozen in a seemingly permanent scowl. This made no sense. Honestly! Wasn't anyone else wondering what the bloody hell had happened?

Scabior did not know how much time had passed since reading the article. He debated what to do long enough that his stubble had grown into the beginnings of a full-fledged beard. Meanwhile, all around him he heard people talking about how wonderful things were with Harry Potter in the Auror Office and how they'd never felt so safe in so long!

Scabior's mind came to one conclusion: The Aurors had indulged in their lackadaisical attitude for too long. He was not looking to be the next Voldemort, but he did have one thing he wanted to do. He knew one thing he wanted to have.

All right, so he _needed_ to have one thing.

Whatever word used, Scabior didn't think rationally very much as he found his way into London and, consequently, into the Ministry of Magic. He whisked himself inside—oh, how hiding had never served him so well!—only to find a little party of the Aurors'.

As if his perception of himself hadn't been rudely enough upended, he wondered if the rest of the world had gone utterly nutters. The rest of the Ministry carried about as though it were a normal day. Inside the Auror Office, they were celebrating.

His eyes scanned the room from the shadows, and he remained unnoticed behind a festive curtain draped above a corner desk that had been pushed against the wall. He had the perfect cover to see it all—witches and wizards, eating and talking, laughing and cheerily debating. Even Potter and that blood-traitor mate of his were there with a dark-skinned woman—

His breath escaped him as his eyes fell on Parvati. She was done up quite nicely in a jet dress that ended mid-thigh and matching heels that drew his gaze to her legs. Her hair was down, and she had a glass of butterbeer in her hand. Scabior didn't even notice the other witches in the room, too enraptured by the one that was his.

Ah. That sounded right. She was _his_ and _his_ only.

His jealousy gnawed at him as he watched her laugh and enjoy herself. He couldn't stay there forever as she seemed to be a happier version of herself…without him around. When her companions moved away for a moment to speak with someone else, Parvati took a breather, and Scabior moved out from the shadows. "'Onestly? You caught all of us?" he blurted, his brow angrily drawn.

Parvati gasped upon seeing him and pushed him back into the shadows, stunned by his arrival. "Oh, my Godric—Scabior, _what_ are you doing here?!"

He glowered at her. "I've 'eard all the Snatchers are finally dead or in Azkaban. Well, looky 'ere—I'm a livin', breathin' contradiction." He gestured to her slinky black dress and shoes. "And lookit you, all real-woman for once and livin' it up."

Her eyes screamed pure fury at him. "Did it ever occur to you that with the hunt canceled you might be a free man? Or an almost-free man?" She stared at him, their eyes locked, for several minutes that felt like hours before she returned to her coworkers who once again sought her company. Parvati obviously hoped he would dwell on her idea for a while.

But Scabior was not one for patience, and so he did not think on her words. He stepped into the open again and marched right up to her, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her away.

Parvati's eyes widened, and she looked at her coworkers. "Harry! Ron! It's—"

"—exactly what you think," Scabior said with a little too much glee in his voice. He grabbed her hip, and her body automatically molded into his—a perfect fit. "Don't worry—this is the last you'll be seein' of me. Tootles, Potty-boy and blood-traitor. You're one Auror short, by the way." He ran out with Parvati, who _willingly_ ran by his side, until they could make it to the Atrium, where he slid into one of the fireplaces, pulling her onto his lap right as the green flames consumed them.

She was gripping his jacket when they appeared in an old, dusty, decrepit room. Parvati didn't look up until he patted her back and told her it was okay to look. "…where are we?"

He grimly smiled. "My 'ome."

"You have one?"

"'Aven't used it in years, but yah." Scabior caught his breath, just realizing exactly what it was he had done. "I… Shit, I can't believe I just did that."

Parvati gave him a look. "That's the same thought I had. Scab, I _told_ you… You were almost free."

It finally hit him. "…you made it up, didn't you?"

She bit her lip. "…kinda. Greyback—well, I wasn't on his case, but we've heard nothing of him since we lost him in Scotland. And you…" She stared at him. "I told you that you were almost free."

Scabior stood and numbly moved around the room, picking up fallen chairs and dusting things off. He listened as she told him of her idea, how she had wondered if all the Snatcher hype would die down if the media thought it was over.

"Even the Auror Office thinks all's said and done," she stated, drawing her fingers across the mantle above the fireplace. "That other Snatcher _was_ sent to Azkaban, and the others have pretty much given up on Greyback. All I had to do was tell a little white lie that you…were dead." Suddenly, Parvati huffed and glared at him. "And I would've been fine if you hadn't meddled! Now they'll come looking for _both_ of us, Scab."

He smirked—he liked how she said "Scab," even when angry. But his smirk didn't last. "But _why_? You daft girl, you were up an' down, all over the place like a jinxed broom!"

Parvati sat in the chair of which he was gripping the back and leaned against his hand, looking up at him. "Remember when I told you that you were the only stable thing in my life?"

"Even I can remember things like tha'."

"Scabior… I've had…mixed feelings about you for years."

"Knew you couldn't resist this 'andsome face."

"Will you shut up? I was trying to scold myself, every time I let you get near— _especially_ those times when…" She blushed, her cheeks so mahogany.

"You felt like ravishin' me?"

She pinched his arm hard, and he quieted. "I thought I was crazy, and that my work was taking on too personal a tone. And that my other troubles were getting to me. But then I had the thought to… _fudge_ the truth about the Snatcher hunt. If the Auror Office was off your back, then I'd be done with you."

Scabior didn't mind listening to her talk, but he growled at that thought and grabbed her roughly by the chin and kissed her deeply. He broke away, snarling, "You. Belong. To me."

Parvati smirked against his lips. "Funny. The same thought occurred to me when my _second_ idea clicked into place—if no one was hunting you…then I could have you all to myself. You could hide—you love to remind me how good you are at that—and make a new life for yourself." She clutched the opening of his jacket, toying with the buttonholes. "And, if you were as insane as I am, I'd be a part of that new life."

The wizard stared at her long and hard, too many words racing through his mind. Though he still refused to identify what he was feeling…he knew that the monogamous possession he was feeling for Parvati was a monster that would eat him up, consuming mind, body, and soul. "Conditions?"

"No conditions. I just traded my life for you. It'd be nice if someone served me Greyback's head on a platter, but…"

"Consider it a present with interest," he promised, and…for once…he was all right with one game ending. A new one was starting, with plenty of excitement and danger—for his heart. But he was pretty sure Parvati would take good care of it.

**Author's Note:**

> X3 Scab's so freakin' hot. I loved writing him—I always enjoy writing Parvati—but Scabior… There's so much to do with him, and I think I handle him pretty well considering he was a minor character. HA! I even managed to develop him somewhat…! Oh, Scab, you smexy, smexy Snatcher… Parvati's too damn lucky. ;P But I feel for her, her life feeling so wobbly that she comes to rely on Scabior of all people! *lol* Also, this was partially inspired by the song "Run Devil Run" by SNSD/Girls' Generation; give it a listen. :D
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please review!
> 
> -mew-tsubaki :D
> 
> 2017 note: Nice. B3 Tho, headcanon-wise, I have different ideas for Parvati, I like her as an Auror here, especially considering her motivation. And Scabior… Godric, he's just a lot of fun to write. XD I confess, 6yrs later, I didn't recall a lot of the fic, but I think I enjoyed writing him stealing her from the soiree at the end. :D


End file.
